Nowadays, most cries of “racism” sound so banal that even those who make such accusations seem half-hearted about it.
Indeed, many “racism” accusations come across as an afterthought, as if the accuser felt embarrassed yet obliged to make it.
For instance, according to the Monterey Herald of Monterey, California, David Adams, father of high-school sprinter Clara Adams, who lost her state title on Saturday when officials disqualified her following a celebratory post-race stunt with a fire extinguisher, sounded tepid and almost pre-programmed when he attributed his daughter’s disqualification to racism.
“I have video of it,” the elder Adams said. “She was on the other side of the wall. I told her to step off the track. She did not spray her shoes on the track. We have protested the decision. I feel it was racially motivated.” The younger Adams, a sophomore at North Salinas High, is black.
Notice how the “racially motivated” comment came in at the end and without evidence?
Readers may watch the entire race in the YouTube video below. Note that the second-place finisher in the girls 400 meters also appears to be black. That, of course, would make the elder Adams’ “racially motivated” claim preposterous.
As for the incident in question, the video above showed the younger Adams taking a fire extinguisher from her father around the 1:23 mark. She then ran back onto the track before the video ended.
In other words, we have no video evidence of what the sprinter actually did with the prop.
Was a disqualification justified in this case?
By all accounts, however, she merely sprayed her shoes in celebration of her victory.
“I told Clara, ‘You’re on fire,’” the elder Adams said, per the Herald. “She did not do it in front of her opponents. She wasn’t disrespecting anyone.”
Later that night, the younger Adams described herself as “disappointed,” “robbed,” and “in shock.”
“[The officials] yelled at me and told me, ‘We’re not letting you on the podium.’ They took my moment away from me,” she added.
Perhaps they did. If so, then chalk up another one to overscrupulous officialdom.
In fact, the disqualification also prevented the younger Adams from racing in the 200 meters.
“The official yelling at me said, ‘We’re going to DQ you for unsportsmanlike conduct,’” she said. “I found out 10 minutes before the 200 was going to start that I couldn’t run in it as well.”
Whatever the case might be, the younger Adams certainly has gained support on the social media platform X.
The hypocrisy of @CIFState. You can’t hate them enough.
Yesterday at the California state track and field championship meet, Clara Adams from North Salinas High School was stripped of her 400m Dash 1st place medal and disqualified from both the 400 and 200m Dash for celebrating… pic.twitter.com/5UFkB7UVTG
— Beth Bourne (@bourne_beth2345) June 1, 2025
S/O to #ClaraAdams true STATE Champion🏆! We proud of you! S/O David Adams too Clara dad proud of you too brotha! #CIFStateTrack #CentralCoast#NorthSalinasHigh#TrueChampion pic.twitter.com/Mh5H44nG6j
— THE LONE SAMOAN (@Misterjay1) June 2, 2025
Give Clara Adams her state title back @CIFState pic.twitter.com/vapbP2Ukge
— Wilson (@_Smoogee) June 1, 2025
Note how easily the elder Adams’ half-hearted claim of “racism” gets lost in the commentary on his daughter’s alleged transgression. The younger Adams’ supporters questioned the disqualification based on her actions alone. No one seemed to care about the color of her skin. Ironically, that included her father, who also defended his daughter based on her actions. His “racially motivated” comment came across as parenthetical, more of a reflex than a conscious thought.
And that is precisely the point. When you call out racism everywhere, even where it does not exist, people will begin to see racism everywhere, even (especially?) where it does not exist.
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